


Painting for a King

by PeculiarPulchritudinousPotion



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Goblins, Goblins with hats, Jareth the Goblin King, Labyrinth - Freeform, Possibly post sarah, The Labyrinth - Freeform, still unsure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeculiarPulchritudinousPotion/pseuds/PeculiarPulchritudinousPotion
Summary: An idealistic painter stumbles upon an old painting she has never seen before within her studio. Whilst restoring it, strange things begin to happen all around her. As she comes to know of the story of the goblin king, Jareth, she will fall into an untimely situation that will decide her fate.
Relationships: Jareth/Reader, Jareth/you
Comments: 47
Kudos: 132





	1. An inspection

**Author's Note:**

> She/her pronouns are used throughout this when referring to the reader.

A small sleepy town drowned in forest could seem rather torpid for some, dreadful to others, and inspirational and ideal to few. An idealistic woman by the name of (First Name) (Last Name) is one of few who moved to this sleepy town just last year. As a paintings conservator working quietly most days of the week, she preferred peace rather than a bustling city with busy people. Having been away from her family and friends for over a year now, she has successfully settled into the new environment she had always dreamed of. Although now she lived alone, with no new local friends or family to talk to. Isolation wasn’t alien to her, and if anything it was a powerful tool at times. Being alone with her thoughts and ideas, problem-solving, and inspiration flowed much better it seemed thus far.

Something that made this town particularly interesting was its lack of sunlight. Most days were cloudy and chilly. Sunny and warm days were to be cherished. Even so, (First name) loved the rain that would often pour outside of her cozy little cabin. It offered a relaxing and comfortable undertone when she felt particularly homesick or lonesome. The local wildlife was another thing she enjoyed about her new home, there was a barn owl that would often visit, to which she would always look forward to. Living back in the city she never got to see any such thing, especially a beautiful creature such as that. Not to mention it’s peculiar behavior, always choosing branches to perch on next to her window as she worked or did other household chores. She didn’t mind it though, her isolation wasn’t something she completely loved, so the feeling of being a little less lonely was nice. Even if it was just simple company. 

We now move to the present where (First name) had just come home from a trip into town. Her arms were filled with brown grocery bags and other home necessities that were balanced in her arms. Shortly after fumbling with her keys to open her front door, she stumbled in and roughly piled them atop each other onto the floor. So little action yet she was already tired from that trip. A long day was ahead of her and it was only 8 AM. She kicked off her shoes and threw her coat onto the couch and sat down as a sigh left her. A thought passed her mind as she listened to the harsh wind that had just dismantled her lightly styled hair. _I wish I had someone to talk to. _Although a year had passed and love for her new life flourished, the loneliness still robbed her of fully enjoying it. Of course, she would call her family and friends back home but they were always busy. The family get-togethers, barbeques, or even holidays without her were spoken about after the fact. It didn’t help that she had her issues with letting people in on her own life as it was. Another long, heavy sigh left her. Pulling herself from the couch, she went over to the groceries still on the floor, and after organizing them and putting everything in their respective place in the quaint kitchen, she went into her studio to begin her workday. Separating the curtains covering the large window that dominated the outer wall, she peered into the foggy front yard, then tied them to the side. Gloomy light poured in and added a nice ambiance to the cluttered studio. Moving over to the rack where she kept her paintings, she gently sifted through them to find the one she was working on. It was a painting of a castle surrounded by dark forests, submitted for cleaning and mild restoration. Once she had found it, she pulled it out by its wooden back and carried it over to her work table, and began the process of cleaning and restoring the piece.__

______ _ _

__

__

Hours passed as she worked carefully and tirelessly. By that time, it was pouring outside like usual and the sun was well hidden behind the dark wall of clouds. The steady pitter-patter on the windows didn't seem to even make itself all that apparent, seeing as (First name) remained undistracted. Though she was satisfied with the work she had done during the long hours and gave it a rest. After making herself some tea and a light snack, she went back into her studio to check on what else she had left to do this week. Pulling out a secondary rack kept to the side of the first, she noticed something odd. A severely old painting was hidden on the far most end of the rack. Now, she hadn’t recalled ever taking in such an old piece during the year, not recently at least. Pulling it out from its dark corner, old pieces of wood began crumbling from under her fingers just by simply touching it. Quickly she moved it to a nearby easel, and that simple motion had nearly sent it tumbling from her grasp. 

“Shoot!” She exclaimed, absently waving her hands around in her empty panic as it began to fall apart.

She put her hands on both supporting ends of the frame before it could fall. Instead of trying to keep it together, she opted to instead remove the frame. Snapping the two halves apart, she set them aside and adjusted the bare painting on the easel. She inspected the painting closely, what she saw was mildly unsettling, it was hard to put it into words. A long blonde haired fellow with dramatic eye makeup and a wicked smirk. Initially, at first glance, you would have thought it to be a woman, but the masculine features weren’t to be ignored so quickly. The colors used were strange, no such paint she had ever seen had looked like it. It had a certain glimmer, from the man’s asymmetrical pupils to the ornate suit they wore. It was all rather peculiar. Its age was very clear, hundreds of years at least. It’s yellowed coat of dirt and other mysterious substances were covering most of the piece. She looked down at her hands and had seen how filthy it had made them, she went to wash up and to grab some protective gloves before taking any more time in touching it. 

Entering her studio with disposable gloves now ready to get down and dirty, she was cautious when inspecting the damaged frame she had removed. At a close glance, it too was ornate and bizarre. Carvings of little creatures and other designs could be seen under proper lighting. Using a few old brushes she didn’t usually use, she began to dust away surface dirt and dust. The wood seemed to be bog oak, a very odd choice she thought. Putting the frame back together, she noticed the full image of carvings as one cohesive piece. Spiraling lines trapping figures in a large maze, creatures surrounding the entirety of it, each one just as ugly as the last. It seemed almost...heathenish. Her focus shifted back to the painting, although her eyes noticed something different. (First Name) could have sworn up and down that the man in the painting was smirking, but now his face seemed truly neutral. This was all getting very strange and (First Name) couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming presence around her. Something in the back of her mind was telling her to throw the painting out and never think about it again but, there was something about this whole situation that was alluring somehow. Something mysteriously intriguing. Something pulling her in-- 

No, she simply wasn’t going to have it. This creepy old painting comes about to dirty up her studio and question her sanity? She will not tolerate it any more than she already has. Something was triggering her internal alarms and she needed to rid of it. No matter how special or peculiar it seemed. She grabbed the painting and charged toward the door to throw it away, though when she opened the door a sound stopped her in her tracks. A distinct flop rang out through her studio and she knew it couldn’t be any more debris. She looked down and saw a small red book. Jaw tensed, she put the painting back and stared at the ominous novel. Picking up the small leather-bound book, she examined it. The title was written in gold, and the surrounding art looked to be black vines with thorns deeply pressed into the leather. She read the title aloud to herself. 

“The Labyrinth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [EDIT] I just began to edit this dusty old fic, needs work! 10/23/20


	2. Leering

(First Name) Opened the small book. The pages were thin and cream-colored. Reading the same title on the inside, she noticed no author or publisher. She read a bit of the first page and felt strange again, that same pulling feeling she just had moments ago was back. She closed it, sighed, and took off the protective gloves she wore. 

She plopped the book down next to her (now cold) cup of tea and sat down putting her hands over her face, attempting to gather all of her thoughts. That evening was simply abnormal. She had speculations by the dozen: A home invasion? Something supernatural? Or maybe her isolation was finally getting to her head? 

No, none of those could be it. She simply wouldn’t believe any of them, she was cautious and particular in how she lived her life and she knew her routine inside and out. She refused to let her normalcy be questioned by some old smelly painting.

It had seemed to her as if this painting was refusing to be ordinary, something she hadn’t experienced as of yet or expected. It was filthy, old and in the poorest condition it could have been in, why should she take her time to tend to it or even care? 

‘Well, now I’m just thinking of it as if it were a person...god.’ She thought timidly, a self-loathing groan of dread escaping her lips. But it wasn’t so strange of her to feel this way, quite the opposite. If she only knew what lay ahead of her, then this night will have seemed the most normal of them all.

She removed her hands from her face and took a sip of her tea, staring down at the small novel. She was an avid reader, always had been. And with her new life, she had gotten much more time to indulge in it. If she wasn’t painting or working, she was reading. But frankly, her drive to paint had been completely diminished tonight by this ordeal. She now figured a quick read wouldn’t do much harm considering the circumstances, she opened the book again, reading carefully.

The first chapter was rather interesting, something out of a fairy tale. Well, to (First Name) this book was a fairy tale. From the theme to the names of the characters. The impossibility of the story was almost amusing, and as she got further into the book, a question submerged from her mind: what was this book doing wedged behind that canvas? An idea hit her almost instantly. She stood up rapidly, almost sending her stool flying.

She went to cross-reference the book and the painting. The descriptions of The Goblin King, Jareth, were identical to that of the painting. It all began to make a little more sense now, why the frame was the way it is, and the painting in all it’s dramatic glory. But the question remained of how it got into her studio, and why it made her feel so weird. Although now she felt a bit better about the situation, it was still all extraordinarily mysterious. She would never accept very big or old paintings to restore, simply because she felt too much pressure to take on those things, but seeing this painting in its current condition, she now felt obliged to help it for some odd reason. She exhaled through her nose, pity washing over her for no particular reason she could explain. 

Staring into the eyes of the painting, she felt tugging again, her interests in it were becoming more than just fear of the unknown. Although this time she fed into this new feeling of curiosity, now checking the details of damage around the canvas itself to see if it was worth saving. 

‘Of course it’s worth saving, it’s art...’ She thought, beginning to have an internal argument with herself over being indecisive.

After a while, she picked up the debris in her studio and decided to call it a night. Maybe she was just tired and delusional and this was all some weird dream. Maybe, she was in the process of napping on the couch and this whole ordeal never happened and she would go about her day as normally as she did every day. But a feeling echoed through the back of her mind, as frightening as this situation was at first, it was still interesting. Something more interesting than she has experienced in a long while. Part of her wished that maybe something else would happen, something...remarkable. But those things didn’t happen, they didn’t exist and they were just something in a fairy tale. 

\---

The next day was rather normal compared to the night before. She finished all of her work early and found herself sitting in front of the painting once again, having an intense stare-off with The Goblin King. 

His expression hadn’t changed a bit, not like she had thought it did last night. She was beginning to convince herself that she was simply tired and paranoid last night, and it was working. She sighed, standing up to grab a few materials to run some cleaning tests on the painting to see what solvents and other cleaning agents would be appropriate for this “mature” painting (she was beginning to feel bad for calling it old). She usually would have done more research on the painting itself and the artist but there was little to nothing to go off of, similarly to the book. She had also tried looking both up online and that lead to nothing, so she had to go off of her ambitions and instinct.

After strict testing, she had found out that a rather strong solvent that would be able to clean the grime from the face of the painting without penetrating the paint layer.

An hour into cleaning she began to notice how beautiful the painting was underneath the filth, although it still needed much more restoring for it to resemble what it used to be. 

Amid the hours of work, her mind wandered to the book she had begun to read. Although she had read many fantasy books of all kinds this one seemed to be different, akin to the painting she was restoring. The name of The Goblin King rang in the back of her mind as she gently began to clean the eyes of the painting. His asymmetrical pupils were now clean and they glimmered all the same as any other dramatic king’s. They were similar to that of a crystal ball, something all-seeing and magical that held secrets untold, and legends undiscovered. It didn’t quite make sense to her in words, but the feeling was right.

After fully cleaning the painting, (First Name) decided to take a break. Taking off her blue disposable gloves and throwing them away, she went to the window to close the curtain. Only when she was about to close the curtains, she locked eyes with the barn owl that usually visited her weekly. A cheerful smile spread across her face. Things were lightening up, not only has she squashed her quarrelsome fears, but her owl friend had also come to visit her. Although its visit was somehow unnerving, it’s deep stare was intense and it didn’t seem to blink.

Staring into it’s dark, unblinking eyes, she was reminded of something from the book. Occasionally it was mentioned that The Goblin King would take the form of a barn owl. Those fears that she had didn’t seem as far anymore and her heart was beating much quicker. A paranoid thought passed through her head at a moment of realization. She opened the window cautiously, and in childish impulsivity, she said quietly: “Blink if you’re up to all of this”  
It winked at her, and she blinked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a slow start, but it's gonna get good I promise! Thanks for reading :).


	3. The Goblin King

With a loud clatter, the window was slammed shut and immediately locked. (First Name) quickly closed the curtains and left the studio in a rush to lock every other window and door in her home. To make matters worse, each window she went to, the owl was there, leering. And with each window, she closed the curtains as if they were shielding her from harm. 

When every window and door was locked and hiding her presence, she slumped onto her bedroom floor, her back against the side of her bed. She stabilized her breath and collected her thoughts. She told herself she was overreacting and that owl had done nothing unusual, owls blink all the time, just as she and any other living creature did. But did her eyes deceive her? She didn’t see it blink, she saw it bat only one eye. 

‘I’m going to go crazy...’ She hopelessly put her hands on her face, the pit in her stomach filling with fear. In her turmoil, a storm was brewing in the sky and unleashing rain on her quaint cabin. Uncertainty plagued her for the moments she sat in silence. 

A thought passed as she remembered what she had subconsciously hoped for the night previously. Something remarkable. She reached up on her bedside table and grabbed that small red book in hopes that maybe something inside of it would help her. She opened where she had last left off and began to read. 

A story of a girl who in her hubris called upon The Goblin King to take a child away. The sarcastic and derisive king had only given her the option to solve the labyrinth, or forever lose the child. In the back of (First Name)’s mind, she wondered if The Goblin King preyed upon others, say, lonely painters in the middle of nowhere? Oh, no such thing could be possible, fantasies were not real, but delusions were, and she was beginning to feel quite more delusional by the minute. 

She sighed and continued to read for the next hour. She was a quick reader who was able to retain information very well, something that would come in handy later on. The more she read the more absurd she felt about herself, she would never be able to solve a labyrinth with such an unfair disadvantage as facing Jareth, or so she thought. 

A loud ringing disrupted her dissociation. She put the book down and felt a pang of fear in her chest, although it was gone when she had realized it was her phone ringing. She answered it and was greeted by one of her clients, she then realized that she was supposed to have been done with restoring their painting and should have shipped it back to them by now. She apologized profusely and reassured them that she would get it done by today, but it was already late in the afternoon. After a few more apologies, she hung up and ran back to her studio to work. She groaned, feeling terrible for letting her troublesome imagination get in the way of her work.

That night she worked tirelessly until the early hours of the morning, the painting just needed the final varnish to dry and she would then ship it back to the owner. Throughout the process of her work, she shoved the whole affair back into the depths of her mind, feeling foolish about herself once again for repeating the whole process. 

Looking over at the painting of Jareth, she decided to store it away, because it was causing more problems and even more questions. Although (First Name) couldn’t pull herself to shelve the book it came with, she didn’t feel right leaving the story unfinished in her mind. She placed the brittle old piece of artwork back on the rack where she found it and put a sheet over the face of the painting as to not be haunted by it. 

\---

Days pass and she lives her life as normally as she did the time before she ever encountered the painting. Although now the days were considerably less interesting and frightening, it was normal. Normal, and lonely. She had kept reading the book and read a few chapters each day whenever she had the time, and that kept her mind still on the subject of the painting of Jareth.

As the story progressed she became more invested, as most good stories, they usually had that effect. The story of the girl solving the labyrinth and making faithful friends along the way was endearing. Although a feeling of self-doubt was still prominent within her as she imagined herself trying to solve the torturous labyrinth and couldn’t fathom ever escaping or winning against Jareth, and the thought of becoming a goblin added to that unease. 

It had been approximately one week since she had put The Goblin King back into the shadows of her studio. And it was by this time she was finishing the very last chapters of The Labyrinth. She was very invested now sitting in her kitchen reading intensely, as a battle through the goblin city was capturing her attention fully. A loud crack of thunder made her jump in her seat, adding to the intensity of the scene. She was finished with most, if not all of her work and had the rest of the night free from it. And after finishing that chapter and moving onto the last one, she decided to move into her quiet studio to fully immerse herself. 

Going into her studio, she put on a warm dark brown cardigan and turned on a light, one she used for simple sketching and reading that wouldn’t strain her eyes. She sat down and before continuing her reading, looked out the window. The rampant wind was rocking the trees back and forth, and the hard shower of rain was very prominent. Although she found it soothing.

She was very still, reading every word carefully. And as she read what the girl said, the weather outside worsened ever so slightly, the rain now spitting onto her window. 

“You have no power over me” Is what was written in the book, and just as (First Name) registered what it had said, it had vanished right before her eyes. It was like the ink had soaked into the page, forever lost in the parchment. 

She stared at the page, astounded. She rubbed her eyes, blinked hard, and it still wasn’t there. A feeling as if she was being watched donned upon her. She looked down at the page once more, and now every word was beginning to sink into nonexistence. She flipped through each page, and nothing was written. She went to the very beginning of the book, and saw only this:

_Say your right words,_

_and we will take you away,_

_and you will be free. ___

__A chill ran through her as she read this. What was this? What could it mean? And, why now?_ _

__A thought, no, an incantation fell into her mind and as thunder crashed far into the sky. Something she remembered from early on in the story. Would it work? No, it shouldn’t, everything she has gathered from today, from the past week told her that it shouldn’t work. But there was something...remarkable in her mind, a feeling calling upon her every instinct to act. And without thinking any more on the matter, she said aloud:_ _

__“I wish the goblins would take me away right now.”_ _

__There was silence. Deep, unnerving silence that could overpower even the harshest of storms. A feeling of being watched within her grew strong, and she turned her head toward the painting of Jareth. She had no thoughts in her mind right now, she was going on pure instinct. Light and quiet she was in her steps as she inched toward the covered painting. She held the book close to her, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles were whitening. The light behind her went out, leaving the studio and (First Name) in darkness. Right after, she heard something behind her, something open and multiple cackles of laughter. She whipped around and saw nothing. She turned back toward the painting rack and grabbed the edge of the sheet that covered it. She pulled harshly, letting it fall to the floor just as a loud crack of lightning lit up the room._ _

__The painting was blank, dark and empty. Just after she saw the bare painting, her window began to clatter loudly. The owl, the storm, the wind, and the trees were all seemingly trying to get into the room. She had no time to react before all she saw were the curtains flying, and the owl rush in. She hollered in fear and shielded herself with her arms and the book as she felt the sharp talons graze her skin briefly. The cold wet rain-spattered everywhere and the chill of the wind gave her goosebumps. She peeked from between her arms, and she saw something remarkable._ _

__Tall, blonde, and wicked, stood Jareth, The Goblin King. The wind blew his long hair around elegantly, and she could have sworn that she saw something shimmering in the air around him._ _

__“You’re...him- The Goblin King...” She spoke in disbelief, slowly moving her arms from her face. In return for her astonishment, he smirked wickedly._ _

__“I didn’t mean it- I was just trying-”_ _

__“Trying to do what? What else were you trying to do?” He spoke sardonically._ _

__“I didn’t mean this, you must know that I didn’t! You-” She knew exactly what she had done, although trying to reason with him was the only option she wanted to pursue._ _

__“Well, I was not the one who summoned the goblins to take you away.” He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. Snickering could be heard after his comment, and after whipping her head around and seeing nothing, she began to back up. Jareth inched ever closer to her, closing the distance between them._ _

__“This isn’t... real, it can’t be” She was still in disbelief of it all, her heart was racing and she felt as if it would burst._ _

__“Well, you seem to have been struggling with telling a difference between fantasy and reality.” He pointed out, to her dismay. He continued in her silence._ _

__“Take a look around you, (First Name), does this look make-believe to you?” (First Name) turned around and her studio was now gone, and so was the rain and the storm. Her house, her cozy cabin had vanished and she was now on the far outskirts of the labyrinth. She stared off into the distant structure and gasped as her eyes met with the large maze. It was unbelievably big, vast pathways she couldn’t make out by standing there, though she did see the castle far in the distance, beyond the goblin city. She felt sick, sick with fear and uncertainty and as she whipped back around to face Jareth she said:_ _

__“I need to go back, I must go back, please!” She begged, feeling pride-less._ _

__“I’ll give you a choice. Solve the labyrinth and get what you’ve always dreamed of and your freedom, or go back to your normal, dull existence in your lonely little cabin, and forget this ever happened to you.” By then his hands were occupied by a crystal ball. He was gracefully rolling it around in his hands, doing tricks of some kind._ _

__“If you choose to go back, I’ll give you this. At a cost that you won’t remember what has happened and that it stays that way. And remember, if you fail to solve the labyrinth, you will stay here forever.” He stopped moving the crystal and presented it in front of her. She stared into it deeply, and a sudden, sadness, a certain self-caused loneliness and dread that couldn’t be quenched fell over her. She tore her eyes from it and stared up at the grinning king. She began to debate with herself, the obvious choice, and the safest one, was to go back and forget that this ever happened. In her mind though, that same pulling that has plagued her for days now felt like a noose around her neck forcing her out of her comfort zone, to do something about it. Something in her was screaming to solve the labyrinth, to get whatever it was that she dreamed of despite her not knowing what it was, and her lack of confidence in accomplishing it._ _

__“I’ll...solve the labyrinth.”_ _

__She felt instant regret, knowing that just as soon as the words left her mouth that it was set in stone. Jareth’s eyes lit up in surprise. He smirked and then pointed to a clock that had not been there a second ago. It was a strange almost Victorian clock, and it had 13 hours on it instead of 12._ _

__His form slowly began to fade away and his voice echoed all around her. “You have 13 hours in which to solve the labyrinth before you become one of us...forever. Such a pity.”_ _

__Her knees felt weak with fear as she was now alone. She turned around to face the labyrinth that lay ahead of her. And with that, she was left to look far upon it and contemplate whether or not she made the right decision._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra-long chapter this time! So sorry for the wait, had to sort a few things out. Next chapter surely will be kicking the story into full drive, thanks for reading!


	4. Into the Labyrinth

The wind picked up and leaves began to float toward the labyrinth, in which she figured was a sign to start moving. Although in her shock she didn’t even realize she still had the book in her hands and began to walk toward the labyrinth, still minded. She had to accept that this was reality, and that was the worst part of this all in her mind.

As she approached the intimidating outer wall of the labyrinth and noticed tiny fairies flying around the perimeter of it. She was cautious in trying to find the entrance, as to not irritate any of them. Although even in her careful steps, she couldn’t find the entrance anywhere, and now she could see the fairies following closely behind her and felt if they were a ticking time bomb. She had more haste in her step, almost jogging along the labyrinth now, and yet the fairies still trailed behind her. Her heart was racing as she broke into a sprint, desperate to find the entrance, and it was only when she began to feel pinches on her arms did she finally spot it out of nowhere. She was now swatting the fairies with the book, trying to rid of their tiny, yet painful bites. The large vine-ridden door opened for her and she stepped inside, it closed behind her severing her from the fairies. She leaned against the wall opposite of the door and tried to get her heart rate down. She examined her arms and found a few specs of blood here and there. She felt horrible, mentally disoriented and now hurting from aggressive airborne creatures. She exhaled out of her nose feeling relieved, but regretful. 

She looked to her left and right. Both sides seemed to go on forever, but she knew she had to choose one. She decided to go left. She lightly jogged down the pathway, trying to find a path that led inward. After a few minutes, she noticed there hadn’t been a single turn. She turned all around and it still seemed to go on forever, she thought that maybe Jareth was playing a trick on her, that maybe it was similar to that of a forever extending hallway. She had an idea that she could get his attention, or maybe advance herself into the labyrinth. 

She runs a little further until she finds some strong vines that lead up to the top of the wall. She grabs hold to one of them tightly and puts the book in her mouth as she uses the other to climb further up. As she’s about halfway up the wall she heard a voice from below. 

“Desperate already?” A cool voice spoke, she instantly recognized it as Jareth’s.

Her plan had worked, although she was not only in the middle of climbing a wall, but had a book in her mouth and couldn’t properly reply. 

“I’m not the desperate one” Is what she tried to say, although it was severely muffled. 

“Oh really? So much coming from the girl who cannot spot a twist or turn in a labyrinth?” 

His cruel words had yet to affect (First Name), for she was lifting herself onto the top of the wall. She crouched carefully atop it, trying to keep her balance. She took the book from her mouth and stared down at him, and then around her as she saw the vastness of the labyrinth once again. Her heart dropped as the wall began lowering. 

“Hey, that’s not fair!” She exclaimed landing hard on her bottom, now staring up at the king.

“Fair? What is fair about you climbing a wall to a labyrinth? You’re supposed to solve it, not evade it.” He watched her stand up and dust herself off.

“Well you’re known to be an unfair cheat, it’s only returning what you’ve given away.” She was indignant in her tone, and trying not to get too heated, she continued.

“Now if you’ll excuse me I have much more to go, and I don’t need you to breathe down my neck.”

“All of this sudden confidence when you’re plan doesn’t work? Pitiful.” A low chuckle is all she heard as she stormed off in the newly made pathway. 

Who did he think he was? Some sort of...well, king she supposed. She didn’t know where the sudden confidence to talk so spitefully came from, but it did feel good to stick up for herself for once. Her plan to climb the wall had somewhat worked, she now had new information on how Jareth worked. She knew he was spectating her, but she didn’t know how often he was, but she figured that surely he’d get bored of watching 13 hours of her struggling to solve a labyrinth.

She tried to navigate the paths once again, although she got to see the top of it all, she knew that Jareth would have already changed something by now so it was nearly pointless to try. The last thing she wanted was to waste any time. Although in this realm, it felt as if time went by slower than it did back home. 

She trailed her hands on the right side of the path she was going down, getting a glittery substance on her fingers. She heard a rustling of trees not far from her current location and decided that maybe it could be something to further her quest. She made her way toward the sound, taking stops to listen for it every few turns. It was now that she noticed that her at-home slippers weren’t very good for running around on hard cobblestone, but as she finished this thought she turned a corner to see a small area that looked like a courtyard. It had a few trees and potted plants here and there, but there was a pile of wood next to what seemed like a small birdhouse. She knelt and looked inside, seeing nothing. 

“Excuse me! Do you dare disturb my seclusion? Tyranny!” A small squeaky voice shouted from behind her. 

She looked behind her to see a small creature, no bigger than a finch.

“Oh- I’m sorry, I didn’t know that someone lived here.” She said, staying on her knees.

“It’s a house! Of course, someone lives there!” The creature replied, now offended. 

(First Name) didn’t know how to respond to that, and it led to the creature continuing his questioning.

“Who are you? And why are you in my domain? Treachery!” He shouted once again. He stomped his tiny feet in anger.

“I’m (First Name), who are you?” She asked.

“That doesn’t matter! Why are you here?” He crossed his small, long arms ( long for his size).

“I’m trying to solve the labyrinth and get to the castle. Can you help me?” She asked, trying her best not to irritate him further. 

“Why would you ever want to go there? You have no chance. Now leave!” He squawked.

She stood up, feeling a bit hopeless. As she dusted herself off and began to leave he stopped her. 

“Wait! I have a task for you. Stay!” He shouted quickly, trying to grab her attention.

“What is it?” She asked.

“I need you to help me build a sign that says ‘No Trespassing’! There is always someone disturbing me, I need you to write it!” He scurried toward the pile of wood next to his house. From her perspective, he looked like a walking piece of coal. 

“Oh, well alright I can do that. What’s in it for me?” She questioned, now crossing her arms.

“You get nothing, you disturbed me!” He began to move the planks down, struggling with each one.

“I’ll only help if you come with me to find the castle.” She bargained, hoping it would work.

“I have never been to the castle, so I cannot take you there!” He spat.

She let out a huff of frustration and turned around. She was wasting precious time.

“Wait wait! I know someone that can help you get there! Help me and I’ll bring you to them!” He screeched in a last attempt to stop her.

“How can I trust you?” She questioned, turning around.

“You’ll just have to, miss! Now help me!” He demanded. 

And so they both worked on it for about an hour, she did most of the work. There were limited supplies and barely enough ‘paint’ to write with.  
As she was finishing painting the last letter on the word “trespass”, and she noted how impressed he was in her preciseness with the rugged paintbrush she was given. She then turned to the creature and said:

“Well there you go, all finished. Can we go now? I can’t waste any more time.” She stood up and dusted off her knees.

“Fine, fine! Stay close!” He instructed, already scurrying away. 

She kept close behind, making sure not to step on him. They approached a new part in the labyrinth, one with hedges and other sorts of stone walls. 

“He’s just up that part and to the right, now stay away from me!” He directed, then skittered off back where they came. 

She sighed in relief, although interesting that creature was, her ears were thankful he was gone. She walked up the cobblestone path between two hedges, hoping he was being true. She went right as directed and saw how long the path was. She picked up her pace and saw no twists or turns, just like at the beginning of the labyrinth. She arrived at a dead end and had a sudden burst of anger rush through her. She threw herself against one of the hedges, expecting it to hold her weight. Although when she began to fall through it, she let out a holler. 

She fell on her back, half of her body still on the other side of the hedge. She opened her eyes to something amazing.

She could only describe it as a garden of crystals, brilliant and bright. She flipped herself over and crawled the rest of the way into the area and began to look around. There were many of them, small and large and bunched together. She knelt to some rather small crystals and picked them from their spot. They were very shiny, but not fully clear. A lilac hue was centered inside of it and it moved around similarly to smoke. She grabbed a few and put them in the pocket of her cardigan, she felt that she would need them later on. Right after she did that, a wet feeling in her other pocket suddenly emerged. She grabbed the book that was in that pocket and felt no moisture. She opened it and new words were written on the once empty pages. 

_crystal crystal;  
always subliminal.  
never doubt;  
never pout.  
write what you want;  
never go on a jaunt. ___

__She had an idea of what this could have been, including the whole feeling wet, that was surely only to get her attention she thought. Although the meaning was a bit obscure, she would keep it in mind. She read the passage once again and it then began to fade away. She waited for a moment for any other messages but none came. She put it in her pocket and grabbed one of the crystals for further examination. They were all different shapes and sizes, the one she was holding was akin to a pencil. Just as she made the observation, a bit of ink dripped from the sharp end of the stone. A light gasp escaped her, the ink was dripped onto her slippers, she moved it away from her and she watched it drip onto the stone. She crouched down and began to draw on it herself, and to her surprise, it worked just as a pen would. Although it was considerably more fluid than anything she had ever painted or drawn with. It was amazing._ _

__When she was done testing it she wiped the tip of it off with her cardigan and put it back into her pocket. The crystals she found would surely have some use, considering the sporadic nature of the labyrinth and its puzzles. She turned to go back and saw only a stone wall. The hedge she had gone through was no more. She put her hand on it and pushed, and still nothing._ _

___‘Write what you want’ _Rang through her head.__ _ _

____She took out the crystal pen and drew a doorway cautiously. The dark purple ink dripped down onto the stone, she began to think it wasn’t going to work. Then, after she had blinked, it looked as if the doorway had been created, cut right into the stone. She grinned and walked right through it, she was right back where she had been before she found the garden. Now though, her mind went back to that creature who had lied to her. She felt frustrated with it but decided too much time would have been wasted going back to tell him off. She went back where she had come and saw the left path, she went down to see what was on that side._ _ _ _

____It took her considerably less time to find what was on the left side of the path, she very quickly reached a small area with a pond and a dinky hut. She realized that maybe this creature had meant left rather than right. Walking forward she noticed many baskets and piles of clothing. She had to bend down a bit to knock on the door, but right after she did the door flipped open and hit her knees._ _ _ _

____“Who goes there?” A ratty voice questioned._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to get this one out! I hope this long chapter feeds your cravings, have a good day!


	5. Friends

(First name) steadied herself and addressed the voice as she bent down to talk to it. 

“Hello, a little creature told me you’d be able to help me?” She inquired, staring into its bright yellow eyes. 

She couldn’t tell what it was, its eyes were big and wide, and it had large mouth accompanied by whiskers. It was similar to a cat but far too grotesque to be considered cute in the slightest. He also had a small hat with a feather sticking out from it. She could only assume it was a goblin.

“Oh! Well, I’ll be glad to take you there!” He smiled widely, showing sharp and uneven teeth. 

“That’s great! Shall we go now-” She was interrupted.

“On one condition that is!” He kept his wide smile, staring up at her.

“What’s the condition? I don’t have much time to spare-” She was cut off once again.

“You buy one of my hats! I sell them, lots of them! Buy one of my hats and then I’ll take you to the castle!” He stepped out from his hut, and over to a basket that lay next to the pond. 

“I don’t have anything to give you, I cannot pay you.” She stammered 

“Don’t got anything? Hmm...” He stared at the pocket that held the mysterious crystals she had found not long before. 

She noticed him glaring and instantly shielded it with her hand. 

“Off-limits bucko.” She had a feeling that he would try other ways to get them, as he was very obviously infatuated on them.

he let out a funny grunt, and began to throw out hats from the basket left and right. There were all kinds of hats he had, very old fashioned hats to oddly styled ones she had never seen before. She looked around on her wrists and fingers for any jewelry and only saw a plastic beaded one on her wrist. 

“I’m not sure if you’ll take this as payment?” She presented it in front of him.

“Oh, I’m not falling for that! I knew someone who fell for something like that! A girl like you brought it here, it’s called plastic, is it not? Eugh.” His face was disgusted; she pondered what kind of reputation the previous person who tried to solve this labyrinth left on her world for that kind of reaction to be necessary. 

She put the bracelet back onto her wrist and looked down at her pocket. 

“Is there anything I can do to get you to help me? I’m sure there must be something you need help with.” She pressured reluctantly, she didn’t want to have to do any more laborious tasks that would stall her.

“Nothing for you, if you try any trickery.” He held a specific hat close to his chest; it looked to be a very worn sunhat. 

Seeing it triggered a memory from back home, spending warm summer afternoons with her family, it all seemed so distant now. 

She put her hand in the pocket with the crystals and tried thinking of something desirable to this creature. Within seconds she felt something newly shaped in her fingers. She brought it out and presented it to him. 

He grinned widely, staring at the gold coin she held between her finger and her thumb. 

“I knew you were hiding something! Give me that-” He jumped up to grab it, but (First Name) quickly moved it away from his grasp. 

“I’ll buy one of your hats with this if you take me to the castle right away.” She stared down at him seriously. She didn’t want to waste time as she did with the creature previously.

“Fine fine fine! Just hurry and give it to me! He musn’t know!” He snatched the coin from her hand when she lowered it, and in exchange, she now had the old sunhat. She tied the ribbon around her neck so it could rest on the back of her neck and shoulders.

He walked over to the pond and inspected it in a very odd way. He then grabbed a rope hidden beneath the surrounding dirt and pulled hard. A hatch opened near the edge of the pond within the water. Some water poured in on the sides. The hatch was very strange, designed to keep the pond filled with water if it were to be opened. He put a rock on the rope he had pulled and wasted no time in getting into the pond and moving toward the open hatch. 

“We’ll be going through there, it’s a shortcut.” He said, wading his way through the thick and slimy water.

(First Name) followed, taking off her slippers and holding them in her hand. The water wasn’t very deep at all, to her at least. When they got to the hatch, He said:

“Ladies first.” He wasn’t very gentleman-like in his tone. 

She peered down cautiously and saw only darkness. Just before she could inquire about a ladder, she was pushed in by the creature. She hollered loudly and fell into the darkness. She could hear laughing as she went down.

“Fool! Aha-!” Gargling could then be heard, and a screech following that.

The water from the pond began to pour in on top of them both. They moved away from the mystery pile that broke both of their falls and stood there listening to the entire pond drain into whatever they were inside. The consistent flooding didn’t stop for quite a bit, and when it did stop, (First Name)’s mind felt as if it were going to collapse. Hopelessness filled the air, as well as a pungent earthy smell. It was pitch black now, for the hatch had closed shortly after the water had stopped flowing. 

She thought to herself about finding any possible light sources, although it seemed impossible considering she didn’t know where she was or how dangerous it could be to explore in the darkness. The crystals in her pocket then began to glow. She pulled out a large one and looked around. It looked to be some sort of old dungeon, dusty and (now) damp. Looking toward where they had fallen, she now saw what broke both of their falls. A large pile of clothing, or- what seemed to be clothing.

She crouched down and began to draw a lantern with one of the crystals. 

“I knew you were hiding something better!” He screeched.

(First Name) picked up the newly made lantern and casually lit it with the same crystal. She stared down at him with contempt.

“Who are you?” She asked calmly.

“Why does that matter? I have to take you to the beginning of the labyrinth now. Unless you would like to quit?” He inquired.

“Listen here, I have no time to squabble with you. I’ll be continuing into this labyrinth and solving it, and I won’t let a little pest like you stop me. So if you won’t help me or tell me who you are, then scram.” She began to walk in the only direction that she could see.

“Well, you already said it, my name.” He said much more calmly than she expected.

“What...Pest?” She guessed.

“No! It’s Scram. My name is Scram.” He crossed his arms.

“Oh, I see. Sorry, Scram...” She looked down, feeling bad for lashing out on him. She was very frustrated, which was a bit out of character for her.

“I’m sorry for yelling, I just really need to get to the castle.” She finished.

“Gah! I’ll help you, but keep your voice down and be quick.” He started to run in a direction without warning and (First name) had to quickly catch up with him.

She was quick in her steps but had to be careful navigating in the dark pathways. She was also questioning why Scram had such a change of heart. Perhaps he felt bad? Or maybe he wanted something out of it?

“Why must we be quiet?” She whispered as they stopped at a forking path.

“He’ll hear us, now be careful, any one of these paths could be trapped.” He hushed, but just before continuing on an extra voice rang throughout the oubliette. 

“Who’ll hear what?” Jareth asked. 

“Y-Your Majesty! I was just taking her back to the be-” He backed up into a hole down the middle path. You could hear a distinct thump after his falling screech.

“Now we can talk alone, (First Name).” He leaned up against the wall, ignoring the cries of help from Scram. He was sort of encapsulating (First Name) with his body, blocking the view of the paths before her.

“What is there to talk about? You’re just here to make fun of me, aren’t you?” She held the lantern tightly in her right hand, and her left was balled defensively. 

“Well, I can if you’d prefer that. You look like a wet dog and smell similarly to one, and that hat looks awful.” He looked at her up and down, she was still dripping wet. 

Her face of anger was a clear indication of her annoyance. She envied his dry shoe bearing form. 

“Now, what do you think of my labyrinth?” He smiled, pretending as if what he just said didn’t exist.

“Well it sure is creative, I’ll give you that. But because of it, I’m now soaked, shoeless, and wasting time talking to you.” She ducked under his arm and went to help Scram from the hole he was still stuck in. 

The hole wasn’t very deep at all, it seemed to be designed specifically for a smaller being. She very easily pulled him out. 

Right after, Jareth walked up to the two, staring down at them intimidatingly.

“Scram, if you defy me again, you’ll be dipped headfirst into the bog of stench.” He said this in a very particular way, pausing between his words. He then began to laugh at Scram’s expression of horror.

(First Name) wondered what the bog of stench was, but she kept quiet, not wanting to dig a bog of her own.

“Please no! I promise I’ll never defy you! I was only trying to bring her back to the beginning, I will right now! Your greatness, I promise-” Scram was on his knees and holding onto Jareth’s boots.

“Oh please, save your breath. I’m not here for you, not yet.” He widened his eyes on his last word and Scram yet out a whimper of fear. Jareth seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit in taunting them, and that was making (First Name) angry.

She stood up to his face with a determined expression, although it faltered halfway through her statement.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” She said. Scram hid behind her leg instinctively.

“Oh, defending the trickster you just met? Oh, how eager you are to make friends.” He raised his eyebrows.

She ignored his spiteful statement and stormed into the right path, dragging Scram closely behind. She was completely unsure of herself if it would lead anywhere, but she didn’t have any time to waste, especially at the pace she was going. She wasn’t sure how far along she was, or if she was doing even remotely good.

She had a feeling that she was making good progress when she and scram found a door that he was able to open to get to the surface. After climbing a ladder and breaking through a few layers of cobwebs, they surfaced and crawled out into the open. 

They would have dusted themselves off, but still being wet they couldn’t quite do that. Scram took off the hat he wore and shook it off and put it back on. It didn’t seem to make any difference but that reminded (First Name) of the sunhat around her neck. She then noticed that the lantern she created was gone, it had seemingly vanished. She had set it down when they climbed out, but it wasn’t where she had left it. She figured that maybe the items she materializes with the crystals disappear after a while.

Both of them were ringing out some parts of their clothing, and during this time (First Name) recounted what had happened in full mentally.

She looked down at Scram.

“You were going to take me back to the beginning?” She asked within the silence of their adjusting. 

“I just said that so he would get off our backs! I’ll take you as far as I can to the castle, there is only so much I can do without him noticing.” He said. 

“I’m sorry to put you through so much trouble, I just really need to solve this labyrinth soon.” She was forlorn in her tone, she truly regretted accepting this challenge. 

“Just- don’t tell anyone I’m helping you,” Scram said, moving forward into the labyrinth.

“You got it bud.” She said, following him before watching him turn around sharply.

“Bud? As in...friend?” His eyes were wide with surprise. 

“Uhm, yeah I suppose so!” She smiled meekly, confused about what he was on about. She was surprised at herself for speaking so happily.

“Huh...” He turned slowly, continuing into the labyrinth.

(First Name) hadn’t a clue what had just happened, but she was glad to have a new friend at her side during this journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, so sorry for the late post! Been dealing with writer's block but I'm back at it again! Woo! This one was long, I hope it satisfies you all. (Don't worry there will be some Jareth/Reader interactions next chapter, for sure!)


	6. As the world falls down

Walking through the paths once again, (First Name)’s mind had room to think about everything. Throughout her few hours of solving and other endeavors, she considered if this all was just a dream. It was all so completely strange, the entirety of this situation was truly an experience she’d never forget. She didn’t know how many have solved this labyrinth, how many children were abandoned, or how many people summoned the king and never returned home. Here she was though, barefoot, and following a goblin through an ever-changing labyrinth to get what she ‘dreams’ of most.

The biggest thing she was concerned about was having to stay here. The trivial things back home like all of her unfinished paintings, her idle relationship with her family, all of the books on her bookshelf. They all mattered to her, although small and maybe even pointless to some, it was important to her. 

She tried not to dwell too much about home anymore, it made her a bit emotional. This is why she distracted herself with reading or painting, she was passionate about both, but they did bring her elsewhere. A place she wanted to be, different from her reality. She never thought she would want to live in that reality so very badly now. Who knew that meeting a very androgynous king who ruled over goblins (who also just so happened to be trying to halt her from solving a massive labyrinth) would make her appreciate her ‘dull’ existence (as Jareth put it) a bit more. 

Although, that wasn’t to say that this escapade wasn’t interesting. It was far more compelling than her life’s daily activities. This part ached within her the most, the feeling of hopelessness wasn’t just being surfaced from this labyrinth, it came from other places, places that she buried deep in her psyche. 

(First Name) wanted to take her mind off of things and get to know Scram a bit more. She matched his walking speed and asked: “What’s it like living here in the labyrinth? I thought you would have lived in the goblin city.” 

“It’s terrible.” He breathed out.

“I know my way through, but whenever one of you humans comes round’ it changes.” He seemed agitated but continued. 

“I was in the city, but they kicked me out.” He said quietly. 

(First Name)’s expression fell, feeling pity for Scram. 

“That’s terrible, who would do that? Was it Jareth?” She asked defensively. 

“No. It was the other goblins. They’re ruthless, all of em’.” He avoided eye contact, but before (First Name) could utter a single word he quickly stated:  
“An’ don’t go feelin’ sorry for me!” 

It was quiet after that, both of them quietly wandering about. (First Name) assumed Scram knew where he was going, although he did say it always changed when someone new came along, so she understood if he had a bit of trouble.

They had reached a new area quite a while after that, one with tall hedges and lighter stone paths. They both exchanged pleased glances and observed the area.

“Does this mean we’re getting closer?” She asked.

“We’re rather close. Soon we’ll have to pass through a forest and then the goblin city. Although I don’t know if I’ll make it that far.” He said, looking a bit weak in the legs.

“You’ve taken me very far already, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Scram.” She smiled. 

He looked down and smiled meekly. 

“I’ll warn you though- Don’t get on Jareth’s nerves, who knows what he’ll do. The bog of stench...or locked in another oubliette! I-I don’t want that to happen again...” He shook his head aggressively as if to fling away the bad thoughts.

“I’ll be careful Scram. Thank you for helping me. I'm unsure of how much time I have left, but be sure to rest up.” She went up to the one path she saw and stared back at him.

“I don’t know if we’ll meet again- but I have faith that we might.” She smiled and waved at him. She went into the path and began to venture in, leaving Scram to sit on his own. 

She began to feel the intense thump of her heart as she jogged. Her clothes had dried somewhat, so it was easier to move around without the extra water weight. The smell hadn’t gone though, it still tickled her nose unpleasantly. She listened to the crystals in her pocket jingle around as she ran. There were plenty of ways to use them to cheat this Labyrinth, but she was warned not to do anything unnecessary. She didn’t want to risk going back to the start or admitting to defeat. Although it was very tempting to simply draw doors in every wall to get closer to the castle. 

She thought briefly about Scram and how he helped her. (First Name) thought it to be very unexpected to find anyone that would help her. She assumed the book she read wasn’t an actual event that had happened. Although now she felt as if that girl in the book did solve this labyrinth with the help of her three loyal friends. She only hoped she wouldn’t follow in the same steps as to nearly fail to get to the castle in time.

Meanwhile, Scram was sitting alone on a stone bench, swinging his feet lightly. He was deep in thought, feeling immense guilt. He wasn’t tired nor weak. He had only faked it as to not get caught by Jareth. Not to mention, he didn’t want to venture back into the goblin city. He was well aware of Jareth and his punishments and he knew his cowardice decision was selfish, but he simply didn’t want to bear it. He would go back to his lonely life, making hats that would never be sold, having no friends to talk to, and living the same dull existence in the ever-changing labyrinth.

“I never expected you two to have so much in common, but I remain utterly disappointed in you,” Jareth spoke out, breaking the silence and snapping Scram out of his miserable thoughts.

“Your majesty- I was just about to...” Scram started, but the guilt had convinced him to keep his mouth shut. 

“Spare me, I know what you have done.” He spoke starkly.

Scram kept his head down, the shame was welling up.

“I’ll tell you what, Scram. If you give this to the girl, I will forgive you of your wrongdoings. If you succeed, I’ll also let you back into the goblin city.” He smirked. 

He pulled out one of his crystals and within half a second it had turned into a peach. Jareth handed it to him and Scram stared at it blankly. 

“What is this? Will it hurt her? I won’t do it if it hurts her.” He hopped off the bench and stared up at him.

“Care for her do you?” Jareth inquired, his eyebrows raised. 

“Or- perhaps you might consider her a friend?” He continued in his silence and knelt before him.

“Let me just say one thing, Scram. You may not have to give it to her if you’re late.” He smiled evilly. 

Scram had a vague idea of what he meant, and he simply wasn’t going to have it. Even if he did get thrown right into the bog of stench, he couldn’t let his only friend fall victim to Jareth’s trickery.

Jareth watched as Scram scurried into the labyrinth desperately and pondered how the final hours would turn out. 

\---

(First Name) had been at a steady pace for a long while. She eventually found a small area with a large tree and two doors. They had two very unique knockers on them. They were rather ugly faces, one holding the knocker in its ears, and the other in its mouth. She tried to open the one with the mouth knocker but it wouldn’t open. She went to try the other and as her hand reached for it, it creaked open slowly. 

She stepped into it cautiously and was met with darkness. She continued in further, soon after she decided to go back, but as she turned around she noticed he door was closing. She ran toward it but it slammed shut in her face. There was nothing to open it with from her side and she felt her heart racing. Right after she heard yelling from the other side. It was Scram. 

She didn’t know what he was saying, but she decided to try to find a way out so they could reunite. She turned back around and kept walking further into the darkness. It wasn’t long before she was met with a meadow of sorts, dark and misty. There was a gentle fragrance in the air, and the mist seemed to dance around her. It was entrancing. She slowly kept moving forward, going deeper into the meadow. It seemed endless, and the mist was getting thicker by the minute. 

She found her legs beginning to feel light and her knees weak. Her head was feeling quite the same way, her thoughts were slow and repetitive. She saw something above her, a beam of light. Her eyelids couldn’t handle the sudden brightness, and she collapsed into the meadow sealing herself in a bed of flowers. She felt them growing around her slowly. The mist soon turned into a fog, a thick fog that began to cover the light above her. She felt every inch of her body all at once and then remembered something in her calm panic.

“Crystals...the crystals.” She spoke airily. 

She felt her hand wanting to reach for them, but her eyes soon closed as the fog and flowers encapsulated her. Her mind drifted away at once. She felt like she was falling slowly. Images of dancers and moving paintings filled her vision dreamily. Laughing echoed around her and she soon felt her feet reach the ground. 

She opened her eyes slowly and looked around her. There were so many bright colors that filled her vision, they were pale and jewel-like. She looked down at herself and saw a brilliant ballgown. She had a hard time thinking, everything felt so hazy and dream-like. She couldn’t remember what she had done three seconds ago, how she had gotten there, or what her goals were.

She took notice to the many others in the room, not goblins, but humans. Humans in goblin masks. She had no intention of moving, but she found herself walking through the crowd of laughing nobles and dames. They stared at her as she passed through, chatting in-cohesively. What was she looking for? She looked up at two parting women and saw a familiar face between them. 

The Goblin King. 

He smiled down at her and moved further into the crowd, breaking eye contact. She didn’t know what had compelled her to do so, but she began to follow him. She searched the crowd to no avail. He was dazzling compared to the rest in the room, his glimmering dark blue suit and bold hairstyle stood out and made him seem all the more appealing. Why had she never noticed him in this light before? 

She kept searching, getting occasionally startled by those who donned masks. She eventually saw the back of his head with a few women in an empty area surrounded by pillows. There were paintings on the walls, blank ones that still somehow had a glimmer to them. 

She got ever closer to Jareth and as if he sensed her presence, he turned to face her. He didn’t break eye contact this time he grabbed her hands into his gloved ones and lead her down a few steps to dance. She felt a familiar feeling well up inside her as they spun slowly in their dance. 

Something strong, pulling her in closer.

Pulling...

The laughing all around was getting louder and louder. It was unbearable, and that pulling feeling was too much. Jareth was getting closer to her, his beautifully sculpted face was all she could see. Just as she could feel the heat of his face near her own, something broke her trance. 

The dinging of a clock, ringing out loudly throughout the ballroom. (First Name) pulled away from Jareth and turned to look at it. It was twelve. 

She snapped her head around in a panic, looking for anything to break her out of this dream. Her eyes met with one of the paintings on the wall. One of out of them all wasn’t empty, it showed the castle and the goblin city. She ran toward it, pushing her way through the crowd. The laughing was louder than ever and as she looked back at Jareth, she saw the disappointed look on his face. A pang of guilt ran through her just as she tore through the canvas of the painting. In an instant the entire world around her began to fall down, breaking apart into thousands of pieces. She felt herself falling into darkness, her mind was blank and she felt as if her mind was lifted of something important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I really loved writing this one! The next chapter will maybe be a finale of sorts, expect it to be very long! Thank you all for the lovely comments and devotion to reading my story, I greatly appreciate you all. Stay safe and wash your hands! <3


	7. A painting for a king

A light scent of paint filled (First Name)’s nose. She couldn’t see much from how dark it was. Her ears were ringing loudly but after a minute it subsided. Her ears now felt sensitive. She listened to the light pitter-patter from somewhere behind her she concluded that it was raining. She was in her studio, sitting on the floor. Her bones ached and she had no clue as to why. She slowly stood from the hardwood floor and supported herself with the nearest table. Her mind was being tortured by a lingering emptiness.

Absence was what plagued her, but the absence of what exactly? She felt as if she had forgotten something so very important and how frustrating it was for her, as she hadn’t the slightest idea of what it could be, or how to recall it. She also couldn’t remember what she was doing before she was here in her studio. Getting up from the support of the table, she tried to move to the door leading to the kitchen, but jolted back instantly, wincing in pain. Her right ankle and was throbbing, an unwavering pain looped around her leg, endlessly aching. She pulled up her pant leg and saw nothing out of the ordinary, she could only assume that she had fallen. That would explain why she was on the floor and lacked any memory of what she was doing, but that single forgotten thought was hammering the outside of her mind like a relentless storm to a window. 

She felt as if her legs had been stretched and contorted for hours, granted she was a painter and didn’t participate in physical activity often, but she was hard-stuck on what could have happened to make her feel this way. A simple fall couldn’t possibly make her this sore that quickly. Although, that also depended on how long she was out for. She felt around the back of her head and felt no immediate pain. She racked her brain for anything that could’ve happened before all of this.

She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. For a few minutes, she only heard the deep rumbling from within her ears as she kept them covered. Her thoughts were rapid and distorted, but she heard something through the rumbling. Laughing, she heard laughing. Simultaneously the laughing sounded as if it was right next to her but also distant. It surrounded her vaguely and she couldn’t seem to hear a source as it began to multiply. 

A number appeared in her mind, twelve. What did this mean? The laughing was closing in on her, she had to think fast. What’s after twelve? 

Her head shot up quickly and she stared at the clock on her wall. Despite the sharp pain it caused, she limped to the door quickly and threw it open. All at once, her memories were returned to her in a painful recollection. She had no time to dwell on the pain though before the studio began to fall apart behind her. She leaped from the doorway just before it collapsed and fell on her stomach. She rolled onto her back and hissed in pain, holding her ankle with both of her hands. She opened her eyes and stared up at a shadowy figure blocking her view of the sky. 

She let out a shout of fear and stood up only to fall back down pathetically. 

“Calm down (First Name)!” Scram shouted, scurrying to her side. He supported her head from touching a pile of junk.

“Oh- Scram it’s just you...thank god.” She let out a sigh of relief, letting the full weight of her head fall into his weak arms. 

“I knew I shouldn’t have left! Oh if only I could drop a bag of rocks on his stupid head!” He huffed.

“It’s okay, what happened? Do you know?” She asked open-endedly.

“Jareth, that’s what. I tried to stop you from going in there but I was too late...” He looked down at the filthy dirt below them, guilt ran through him in waves.

(First name) saw the look on his face and felt bad. She caught onto what he meant and didn’t hold him accountable for any of it. She sat up and turned to him. 

“Don’t blame yourself Scram, what I did was my choice and it gave me some information about Jareth.” She said.

His eyebrows rose in surprise and he asked: “What do you mean by that?” 

“There’s no time to explain Scram, we’re running out of time. I need to get to the castle within the hour or I’m stuck here forever.” She tried standing up and almost fell again. 

Scram was supporting her leg poorly. In his struggle, he suggested that she use the crystals to help her injury. She took his advice and wearily tried to use one of the last crystals in her pocket to heal her injury. The crystal absorbed into her leg, it looked to have melted on the surface of her leg and into her skin. She took that as a starting pistol to get going. She knew she didn’t have long before the crystals magic depleted and she needed to get to the castle now, or else she will be trapped in this realm forever.

Navigating quickly through the junk fields (First Name) had little time to observe her surroundings. Although she did ask Scram a few questions on the way to clear her theories about the place. The entire field smelled of rust and everything was corroded. Many junk people were wandering about, gathering more junk to add to the mounds on their backs. It was disturbing. To (First Name), watching so many people carry around those tarnished material items was stressful in a way. She was used to her tidy (compared to what she was witnessing) studio. 

They were approaching the gate to the goblin city. She stared at the tall walls that encased the city. 

“Is there any way we can get on top of those walls?” She asked Scram as they continued to jog to them.

“I know a way up!” He wheezed out breathlessly.

Scram led the way and they soon arrived at a stack of asymmetrical rocks leading up to the wall. He began climbing tirelessly, showing many struggles in hoisting himself onto each rock. 

It was now that she was realizing her near-crippling hunger. Her stomach wasn’t quiet about its emptiness and this made it a bit difficult to keep up with Scram. Her legs on top of being sore were weak from lack of sustenance. It had been a long twelve hours so far, with no rest (besides falling into a dream) and little to no breaks in between the hours, it was beginning to weigh her down, but she couldn’t let it stop her now. She had to keep moving. 

She grabbed onto one of the larger rocks and pulled herself up with what little strength she had. Her arms shook weakly with each rock she grasped and it was getting far more difficult to hang on as she got higher. 

She crawled onto the topmost rock and peered down. She turned to the last thing she had to climb, which was the wall. As she stood up to reach for the edge of the wall, she felt a deep rumble from below her. Before she could register what it was, the large rocks below began to slip from their positions, taking them down with her. Before she could fall though, she felt a small hand grasp her wrist. 

“Scram!” She shouted, nearly petrified.

“Help me!” He screeched.

Snapping back into her senses she grabbed both of his hands in desperation. As he pulled her up, she pushed her legs up against the wall to keep her from dangling off the edge. Once they were both atop the wall safely, they looked down at the destruction. (First Name) looked to Scram, “Thank you.” 

“It’s alright, what now?” He questioned.

She looked around and her eyes landed on the castle. It was closer than ever, she just needed to get through the city. That wasn’t easy, she knew this. She also didn’t feel very prepared for what was to come either. 

“We need to get down from here and try to avoid any guards. Who knows when Jareth will figure out we’ve made it this far.” She says, then peering below on the other side of the wall. Spotting a stack of hay, she points at it and says, “That will do! We have to jump Scram!” 

“What!? Are you crazy? We can’t just-!” His voice cracked itself silent when she jumped without hesitation. 

He peered down horrified that he might find his only friend horribly injured or fatally wounded.

“It’s safe! Jump Scram!” She shouted up to him, dusting herself off. 

He stared down wide-eyed, feeling as if his head would pop right off his neck and fly away. He watched as she waved her hands up at him to come down. Without considering it he joined in on her unexpected bravery and jumped down and into the haystack safely. 

(First Name) pulled him out by his hands. She noticed something on his face.

“Are you okay?” She asked, kneeling at his side, deeply concerned.

He looked up at her, sniffling. His giant eyes were glossy and his face was wet with tears. She let out a light chuckle and pulled him into a tight hug. He wept for a few moments before looking up at her again. 

“I’m sorry...” He choked out. 

“Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry I put you under so much pressure.”

“Let’s keep going, we need to defeat Jareth!” He said enthusiastically. 

She grinned and they both stood from the ground. They began their journey into the city, hand in hand.

\---

At the castle, Jareth was sat in his throne staring off as he tapped the crop he held on the floor rhythmically. He was thinking of many things. His eyes darted around the room anxiously at every goblin in the room with him. Their chatter distracted him. It was starting to become annoying.

“Your highness!” A distant voice shouted from down the hall of the throne room.

As the goblin this voice belongs to arrived, Jareth stood eager to know his message.

“Your highness,” He huffed out, quickly bowing at the hip. “The girl- she’s in the city! She awoke and remembered everything!” This goblins helmet was too big for its head and was tilted slightly to the right. This gave Jareth the idea that he tired himself out from running so quickly to alert him. Who knew how far she was now from the time they realized? 

“Stop her! Send every guard and stop her now!” He barked loudly. 

The goblins within the room followed the messenger in a collective hurry, their weapons and armor making the most horrid of noises as they clashed against each other.

Jareth looked up at the clock on the large doorway. “Not again...I can’t let it happen again.” He spoke despondently. 

He stormed up a spiral stairway to his right, his cloak wildly thrashing behind him. His mind was now in a full panic, how could he let this happen?  
He shouldn’t have doubted her.

\--- 

“It’s awful quiet, isn’t it?” She spoke quietly, stopping in her tracks.

They had been keeping to the far right along the walls where the ground was gravelly and crunched loudly with each step. They had seen and heard no one so far, which was great but also unnerving. 

“Strange...usually the city is busy. Somethin’ ain’t right.” He theorized. 

She hummed in agreement, and they continued quickly through alleyways and passages throughout the right side of the city. They were making great progress, too great in-fact. She was anxious, it couldn’t have been this easy to get through the goblin city. The girl in the book had it much harder than she did now, why was it so simple for her? 

As she finished that thought, a distant bell could be heard. It rang throughout the city blankly. 

“What does that bell mean Scram?” She looked down at him. 

“Oh, no...they’re coming for us!” His voice quivered as he listened. 

Her heart dropped, she looked around them and saw no guards incoming, although she still knew they had to start moving even faster than they were before. They locked hands once again and ran through a long alleyway in between a few buildings. Once they got to the end, they observed the perimeter and ran across a street into another alleyway. Halfway down the passage, they were called from behind aggressively. They both turned and saw a group of goblin guards running toward them with weapons. And looking to the other side it was now the same. They were closing in on them quickly, and without hesitation (First Name) dug into her pocket and threw down a crystal. A thick powdery substance filled the entire alleyway instantly while also launching (First Name) and Scram above onto the shortest roof. 

They listened as the guards scrambled and coughed in their panic to find them. From up there, the two monitored the chaos below them. Many groups of goblins all rallied just to stop her. She never felt so terrifyingly special before. Looking around once more at the rooftops, she noticed how close together the buildings were. She stood, dragging Scram with her, and held his hand tightly. 

“What are you-!” His familiar terrified screech rang throughout the streets as she leaped onto the next house over dragging him along. They both landed roughly, but they were fine. She didn’t let him stop their progress, she grabbed his hand again and jumped to the next roof, and the next, getting ever closer to the castle while avoiding the guards below. They didn’t bother to look up at them and were confused as to where they were. They gained momentum jumping from roof to roof and it was almost as smooth as running considering how close together they were. Soon though, the buildings were getting too sparse for them to keep up the momentum they had going. And with this, there was more effort being used. 

They both decided that they would go back on foot and make a break for the castle. It wasn’t very far at all now, but there were still a few guards keeping watch at the gate leading there. Scram huffed out his nose and jumped from the roof onto the ground. (First Name) wanted to call out to him but she didn’t want to alert the guards. She simply watched as he climbed the wall of the gate behind them and took off his hat. She stared in confusion, what was he planning? 

She watched as he looked into his hat, shook it around, and then dumped rocks over the guard’s heads in a seemingly endless stream. The guards fell to the ground unconscious. (First name) sat staring in utter shock. She hopped down from the home and jogged toward the convenient mess he had made. 

“Great job Scram, thank you! Uhm...where did all that come from?” She asked staring at the rocks. 

“My hats aren’t ordinary. Also, you’re welcome. I wanted to save those for Jareth but...maybe next time.” He huffed out satisfied with his work. 

“But now we don’t have time! You must go on without me, I see more of em’ on the way, I’ll hold em’ off!” He said frantically, pointing down the road to a small army of goblins with all sorts of weaponry. 

(First Name) stared down at him and with one last gestural goodbye, she knelt and kissed Scram on his fuzzy head. His face lit up at the affection as he watched her run toward the castle. He turned to face his last challenge. All his pent up fury against the goblin city, Jareth, never being able to see his friend again, it was all going to come out now. He had to protect (First Name).

Hearing battle cries and plenty of clashing, (First Name) began to worry about Scram. Although now she hadn’t time to worry, she had to face Jareth and leave this place for good. Leave Scram, leave behind the adventure of a lifetime, leave with what she ‘dreams’ of the most.

She approached the large wooden doors in front of her. Giant chains hung individually on them in a U shape. She used all of her strength to push the right door open. When she had enough space to slip through, she did. She collapsed for a moment in exhaustion. She then stood, trembling. Her breathing was faltering, and she felt as if she could just lay down on the stone floor and sleep for an eternity. 

Supporting herself with the wall closest to her, she thought for a moment. What could be so bad about staying anyway? Why try going home when there wasn’t much there to begin with? Who would miss her? At least here she has a single friend that enjoys her company, but how long until that ends? 

Sorrow permeated the depths of her mind. Why keep trying? 

For the first time in all of the hours she had been here, she finally felt what she had been holding in. Warm tears traveled down her face and down onto the stone floor. Her vision wobbled unsteadily as more tears filled her eyes. It was quiet in that room, the room with the throne, the room with the many ancient banners and weaponry. The room of which a king who ruled over goblins watched as a girl went from being hopeful and idealistic, to utterly despaired. The room of which she traveled to for thirteen hours to set foot in. The room of which her friend sacrificed themselves for them reaching. The room in which she reached, only to give up.

No. She didn’t want to give up. Not now, not after everything she has worked for. Her newfound friendship, her newfound confidence, the newfound fire in her heart to escape this place, and to return home to her normal life. 

She will defeat the goblin king and go home.

Raising her head, she wiped her tears with trembling fingers. She observed the area and saw the only way to continue into the castle was a spiraling staircase. She marched to it, feeling a slight tingling sensation in her ankle. 

While searching around for Jareth, she came across a very strange room. She entered it cautiously. It was different from every other room. Dark red walls with an ornate wooden floor so glassy she could see her reflection. That wasn’t the strange part of the room. Coating the high ceiling and walls were paintings. Some were filled with detailed views of her home, others of herself in elegant gowns and intricate hairstyles. She looked around in terror, soon after she realized that the door was now gone. It was replaced with a painting of Jareth. She approached it slowly. Staring deep into the painting’s eyes, she was completely thrown off guard when it blinked. 

He stepped out of the painting, causing her to back up in fear. 

“(First Name),” He spoke softly.

She realized what she came here to do, but before the words left her throat he had vanished. 

“Show yourself!” She shouted, looking up at every painting trying to find where he went. 

The room began changing rapidly, stairs were appearing all around her and the paintings were multiplying. Below her grew a set of stairs, rising high into the room. As this was happening she spotted Jareth on a nearby staircase. She tried to run to him, but soon he disappeared into a painting once again. She watched as he traversed through them, always slipping out from her grasp. 

The chase continued, neither saying a word. (First Name) was running out of energy. That same feeling of hopelessness crept behind her. This entire ordeal felt so unfair. During the chase, she suddenly felt an incredible pain in her ankle as she grasped for Jareth, she felt the flick of his cloak at the tip of her fingers as she fell forward into the painting. She was surprised, not only was she now in pain, but Jareth hadn’t moved away from her. 

She tried to stand up, but the result was pathetic. She winced in pain. The room they were in wasn’t there anymore, it was now a rather desolate setting. The room was in large pieces, floating around aimlessly. A mysterious wind passed through the two as they stared at each other. 

“I never wanted it to come to this,” Jareth spoke down to her. 

“Come to what exactly?” She asked, fearing his answer. 

“Look at you,” He began to circle her, his white cloak thrashing against the wind. His form was intimidating. In every way, he had the advantage against her. It seemed as if her feelings of despair only made him stronger.  
“Starving near exhaustion, your bones aching for rest, your mind tormented.” He crouched down to meet eyes with (First Name). 

“This is the result of your doing, are you happy with yourself?” She asked. 

“No, I’m not. I never wanted you to get this far, I didn’t want you to end up like this.” He spoke softly. It seemed as if he had never spoken to anyone like this before. He appeared to be desperate. 

“I don’t understand. Why don’t you just accept your victory?” She heard herself choke, the tears in her eyes were threatening to release themselves. 

His expression faltered ever so slightly. The way Jareth was acting now was abnormal, ever since she fell into that dream her perception of him had changed. Why was he acting like this?

(First Name) began to put the pieces together, although she needed more information to confirm her suspicions. 

“What happened to the others who have solved the labyrinth? What about the other girl you had no power over? Sar-” She was interrupted.

“Don’t say her name!” He shouted, standing immediately. He turned from her gaze.

(First Name) sat up the best she could. She thought Jareth was cold and heartless, but now she wasn’t so sure about that. She was unable to read him. 

“My offer is this:” He turned to face her, raising a crystal in his hand.  
“Leave behind your dull existence,” He began to step toward her.  
“Forget what you think you know about me,” He crouched down in front of her once again. The look in his asymmetrical eyes had a dark shadow of desperation within them.

“And just fear me, love me and we can be happy together.” His voice rang out.

(First Name) stared deep into his eyes. To fear him- to love him would be to live an interesting life. To leave her dull existence would mean to forget her problems and never be alone. But, she wasn’t alone. 

Deep down she was never alone, the fear she felt for never being able to connect with anyone was always there. This was only fear. She began to realize how similar she and Jareth truly were. 

“Jareth...” She softly called. “I think we’re more alike than I have realized. And for this, I must say that-” 

“Wait!” He hushed her. “Think about this (First Name). When the world is falling down around you, who will be there to protect you? To love you? I have taken you in here, I have molded time, moved the stars for you. Only for you.” He said, clenching the crystal in his hand tightly.

She stared down, thinking back to how this all unraveled in the first place. 

The book with the girl who’s name he fears. The painting that stared deep into her soul. The barn owl she grew to enjoy. 

Jareth truly has no power unless someone agrees to face him. Jareth is just as scared as (First Name), scared of being left alone forever. He preyed on those who are willing to abandon their siblings and now he preys on those who are just like him.

Afraid and consumed by loneliness. 

“I now realize your true intentions and for that, I’m sorry that you feel this way...” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She felt him return the hug she took this moment to look up at the clock. Only a minute before it would have been thirteen whole hours when she had arrived here. 

She pulled away from him, not realizing that her face was now stained with tears. “I’m sorry Jareth, but just know that you aren’t alone in this world. I have realized this because of you. Now I have faith that you can find your own peace, without pushing others away.” She put her hands on his face gently, and his hand landed on top of hers. She never could have expected Jareth could be so gentle. 

She knew she had to leave now, or else she would have to take Jareth up on his offer. Which wasn’t the worst, although she had other plans now.

She closed her eyes and spoke out “You have no power over me.” and within an instant, she felt herself falling deep into darkness. Her grip on Jareth had lifted as she heard a clock begin to chime thirteen times. 

Soon she felt herself land onto the ground feet first. The pain in her ankle had vanished and as she stood in her living room, the barn owl flew out the window and into the rain. She watched as it disappeared into the night. 

Home, she was finally home. She looked around and took in the air around her. The light scent of rain filled her nose and at that moment she felt so grateful. Although as she moved into her studio, she realized what had happened. 

She solved the labyrinth, made it beyond the goblin city to the castle, and defeated the goblin king. She had to leave her friend behind. Turning on the light in her studio, she looked around cautiously. There was no trace of her ever leaving in the first place. And it seemed as if time hadn’t moved much at all since she left. Everything felt so surreal. 

She felt around the pockets of her cardigan and grabbed the book. She was surprised that she still had it. On the other hand, there were no crystals left. She set the book aside on her working table and went over to the painting rack. She removed the sheet and was met with an old tarnished painting. The absence of Jareth in the painting saddened (First Name). She knew there couldn’t have been a true happy ending for either of them given her choices. Although she still felt a longing to talk to him more, reassure him that everything would turn out alright. 

She set the painting down next to the book on her working table and sighed. So much had happened all within thirteen hours. She felt more at peace with herself than she ever had before. She never could imagine herself solving a labyrinth alongside a goblin friend. It seemed impossible. Now here she was, back home feeling somewhat empty again. 

As she went to feel the back of her head, the old sunhat that her dear friend had made found itself within her fingers. She inspected it. One of the only things she had to confirm that what had happened was real. She held it close to her chest. With everything displayed in front of her on the table, she took a moment to think about what she would do next. 

She grabbed the book and opened it. It wasn’t empty anymore, in fact, it had a new story written inside. She skimmed through it and eventually her eyes spotted the name Scram. Her eyes welled up with tears, and a smile appeared on her features. Jareth wanted the best for her and with this, she knew his intentions were good. 

She set the book down and grabbed the painting. Walking over to her workspace, she set the painting down on the easel and pulled up her stool. She knew what she wanted to do now. In dedication to the person who brought her a new friend, who made her realize her confidence, the one person who made her realize she wasn’t alone. 

She’ll grab her paintbrush, and create a painting for a king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Oh boy, how bittersweet that ending was. Apologies for getting so cheesy but, 80's classics will do that to ya. Thank you all so much for reading this story. I truly enjoyed writing it and I cannot wait to write more stories in the future. I'm very grateful or all of you who are reading. 
> 
> A special thanks to my friends for sticking around to read this, and to those who leave wonderful comments. Y'all mean a lot to me! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> EDIT: 7/16/20 
> 
> Hello! I see you've made it to the end! I would like to thank you again, even though I'm not entirely fond of how I wrote this a few months ago. I plan on editing it, revising a few things and making sure it's much better! If you're reading this when it is unedited, apologies for the messy work, but thank you so much for reading!


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